A woman has shared the harrowing tale of how she was forced to marry a 26-year-old man when she was just 14 years old.

Trevicia Williams, now a 47-year-old motivational speaker who campaigns against child marriages, was in ninth grade when her mother abruptly told her she was due to get married later in the day.

'I had to quickly switch from student to, Okay, I'm going to become a bride today,' Trevicia, who is based in Dallas, Texas, told Good Housekeeping. 'I didn't know what I was going to do; there was no discussion about after the marriage, where we would live, or anything like that.'

Opening up: Trevicia Williams (pictured), 47, of Dallas, Texas, has shared the harrowing tale of how she was forced to marry a 26-year-old man when she was just 14 years old

Motherhood: The year after her wedding, Williams became pregnant aged 15. She is pictured with her daughter, whom she now says is the 'most amazing pearl' left from her marriage

That was in 1983. Thirty-four years later, Williams has become a mother, survived domestic abuse, and divorced her husband, while reclaiming her life and continuing her studies until she earned a PhD.

Earlier this year, her testimony led Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign a bill prohibiting minors from getting married unless a judge consents or they are emancipated.

Her husband, whom she identified as Will using a modified name, hit her within the first 30 days of their union. He didn't have a stable job and thus failed to provide the child bride with some of the most basic goods, including food, water and shelter.

After Will hit her, Williams asked her mother if she could come back home, but she says the mom said no. Williams' mother, according to her daughter, was the one who signed the paperwork during the wedding.

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Reclaiming her life: After divorcing her husband when she was 17, Williams earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, then qualified to work as a paralegal and ultimately earned a PhD

Making a mark: Nowadays, Williams (pictured with her daughter when the girl was 8) works as a living coach and keynote speaker, and raises awareness of the dangers of child marriages

'I didn't have a say, I felt compelled to go along with it, and so it was,' she said.

Williams ended up sleeping on the floor of a church, before the couple moved from Houston to Pasadena in Texas. There, she was eager to continue her education and endured 25-mile bus rides to high school each day.

In the year following her wedding, Williams, aged 15, became pregnant and asked to be transferred to a different school for expecting mothers.

'I was experiencing so much morning sickness, I threw up on the cafeteria table, and all the students were like, "Eww, gross!'' ' she said about her previous high school.

The teenager was distressed to see her education get disrupted. 'School was so important to me, and that was just completely interrupted, and now I was having to take on the role of being a mom,' she said.

She eventually gave birth to a daughter, whom she now says is 'the most amazing pearl' from her marriage.

One day, Will said he was going to Houston to pick up some of their possessions but never came back. As Williams later found out, the man was involved in an affair with a 21-year-old. He ended up being charged with sexual assault as part of the relationship and jailed.

Williams, who was 16 at the time, was wrongly told she had to wait until she turned 17 to file for divorce.

Stance: Williams (pictured during a talk) has emphasized the importance of legislation when it comes to keeping children safe against forced marriages

Nevertheless, she did end up divorcing her husband, and at the age of 18 applied to work as a correctional officer to support herself and her daughter. She held down the job while pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

Later on, Williams completed training to work as a paralegal, which required her to drive 70 miles from Huntsville to Houston four days a week. She eventually went on to study behavioral science and earn a PhD in psychology.

Nowadays, she works as a living coach and keynote speaker, and raises awareness of the dangers of child marriages. She credits her faith and her education for getting her through the horrific experience of being a child bride.

Governor Abbott, who signed the measures making it harder for minors to get married in Texas last month, said Williams' story was 'integral' in getting the bill passed.

Williams has emphasized the importance of legislation when it comes to keeping children safe against forced marriages.

'When a parent is abusing their power to parent, and a child doesn't have a voice, then states have to protect the child,' she said. 'Childhood is for learning and building their character so they are prepared for adulthood. It's not for devotion to a man.'